Michigan

Michigan State University fans try and touch the Paul Bunyan trophy as Spartan players parade it in front of the south endzone at Michigan Stadium after beating in-state rival Michigan in 2010.
(File Photo)

Here in Michigan, Paul Bunyan is much more than a mythical lumberjack.

He's the symbol of a rich and storied rivalry between the state's two elite college football programs.

For 60 years, Michigan State University and University of Michigan have fought for the honor of hosting the Paul Bunyan Trophy, which goes to whichever team wins the rivalry each year.

The Paul Bunyan TrophyFile Photo

When the Wolverines go to East Lansing on Saturday to play the Spartans, they'll be bringing Paul Bunyan with them— with the hope that he'll be making the return trip home.

Often overshadowed by the Little Brown Jug, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Michigan v. Minnesota game each year, Paul Bunyan has an interesting history of his own.

Here's eight things to know about the trophy.

1) The trophy is actually called the Paul Bunyan - Governor of Michigan Trophy. Why? Because Governor G. Mennen Williams, who was at the helm of Michigan from 1949 through 1960, gave it to the school in 1953, after Michigan State joined the Big Ten conference.

2) The statue is likely one of the tallest trophies in college sports. The statute is four feet tall, and it is supported by a five-foot stand.

3) It's flammable. The statue is made from wood.

4) The statue itself has no bias. On one side is a flag with a Block M and on the other side is a flag with a Michigan State "S."

5) The trophy has spent more time with the Wolverines, but its first love was Michigan State. Although Michigan has won the trophy 35 times, besting Michigan State's 23 wins, the Spartans won the first Bunyan Trophy game. There have been two ties between the teams since 1953. The trophy is currently in Ann Arbor.

5) It's not pretty. In fact, former football coach Lloyd Carr said the statue is "the ugliest trophy in college football." He is far from alone in that sentiment. "But that doesn't mean that we don't love it, " Carr said before Michigan and Michigan State faced off in 2004.

University of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson posted this photo on Instagram after the Wolverines' win against the Spartans on Oct. 20, 2012.File photo

6) Players like to joke about which teammate looks most like the trophy. In 2011 the team thought the trophy looked like Wolverines' defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen. "I think I'm going to have to shave my beard or something ... and stop carrying my ax around," he joked then.

7) Paul Bunyan, the trophy, hasn't led an unscathed life. During one trip from Ann Arbor to Michigan State, Paul Bunyan's ax broke when cargo shifted. U-M's equipment manager Jon Falk ended up in Michigan State's wood shop mending the trophy with invisible tape and a screw, reconstructing the trophy before it ended up in the victors' locker room following the game.

8) Like most relationships, Paul Bunyan is truly valued when he's missing, "When you lose that trophy, then all of a sudden everybody realizes how valuable it is," Falk said in 2009. When the Bunyan trophy is in Lansing, U-M places an away note in the glass case where the trophy would otherwise be displayed. In past years, the note has promised the trophy will return soon.